The present invention is related to power distribution, and in particular to power distribution and management to loads from “wild” power sources.
In aircraft applications, electric power generation is derived, in large part, from mechanical power supplied by the aircraft's engines, which is converted to alternating current (AC) electric power by a generator. Variations in aircraft engine speed results in variation in the output voltage generated by the generator. However, some loads are sensitive to variations in frequency, and therefore most generators employed on modern-day aircraft provide either a constant output frequency or a variable frequency that varies within a defined range that is acceptable to attached loads. For example, constant frequency generators use mechanical couplings to provide a constant-frequency AC output despite variations in engine speed. The mechanical couplings add to the cost and weight of the generator however. Variable-frequency generators are an alternative to constant frequency generators, but must still be capable of providing an AC output within a well-defined range (e.g., 350 Hz-800 Hz). This requirement also adds to the weight and cost of variable-frequency generators.
A cheaper alternative to constant-frequency generators and variable-frequency generators is a wild-source generator that provides an AC output that varies in both frequency and voltage more than that of the variable-frequency generators. Traditionally, wild-source generators have not found applicability in aircraft applications because of their inability to provide the type of power required by most loads on the aircraft.